Q. How much is it to join the PMPBC?
A. The normal fee is £15 for adults and £10 for juniors. This includes Third Party Insurance for up to £5,000,000 for any one claim.

Q. Where does the Club meet?
A. Meetings are held at the Baffins Community Centre, Westover Road, Copnor on the first Tuesday of every month, from 7.00pm to 9 pm.

Q. Where do you sail?
A We sail our models on the Canoe Lake Southsea on Sunday Mornings and on Friday evenings in the summer. The Canoe Lake is salt water.

Q. What type of boat can I sail?
A. Any type of boat is welcome in the Club. We have almost every type of model, even tanks and steam cars!

Q. Where can I buy a model boat?
A. A good place to start is with a model boat magazine such as Marine Modelling International or Model Boats and look through the adverts. Decide what type of boat you are interested in. There are some very good "ready to run" boats on the market if you are anxious to get started. Kits are a good way to start modelling, they are available for all types of boats and come with good instructions. All models can be obtained by mail order if there is not a model shop near you.

Q. What sort of radio should I buy?
A. For a simple model a two channel radio such as Futaba or Hitec is all that is necessary and comes complete with servos and battries. This will control the steering and forward and reverse speed. This type radio will cost under £50. 27MHz,40MHz and 2.4GHz are the frequencies allocated to model boats and land models (cars etc). Q. If I have a steam boat do I need a boiler test.
A. Yes the MPBA (Model Power Boat Association) and our insurance company require all boilers to be tested every two years. We have a test rig and a competent boiler tester in the club who will test your boiler for you. This is free to members.

Q. Do I have to live in Portsmouth to belong to the Club?
A. No, We have members as far away as Swansea in the West and Bexhill on Sea to the East.

Q. What events do you attend?
A. We attend a wide variety of events ranging from Model Shows, Steam Rallies and Carnivals. We have a portable pool which we take to some events to demonstrate our models on.

Q. How much does a model boat cost?
A. The cost varies a lot. The cost of a ready to run boat can start at about £50. However a more complicated and detailed model can cost anything from £150 for a small kit up to several hundred pounds for a larger model.